Poland

In addition to the ordinary Schengen visa waiver, citizens of South Korea, the United States, and Israel are permitted to spend up to 90 days in Poland without a visa, regardless of time spent elsewhere in the Schengen Area. Time spent in Poland, however, does count against the time that would be granted by another Schengen country.

The legal tender in Poland is the Polish złoty, pronounced zwoty. It is denoted by the symbol "zł" (ISO code:: PLN). The złoty is divided into 100 groszy (see infobox for details). In 1995, 10,000 old złoty were replaced by one new złoty. When it joined the EU, Poland committed to adopting the euro, however it is unlikely to happen in near future as most political options quietly or vigorously oppose adoption.

Polish road infrastructure is extensive but generally poorly maintained, and high speed motorways in place are insufficient. However, public transport is quite plentiful and inexpensive: buses and trams in cities, and charter buses and trains for long-distance travel. ===By plane===

The official language of Poland is Polish. Virtually all official information is in Polish only, including street signs, directions, information signs, etc., as well as schedules and announcements at train and bus stations. Airports and a few major train stations usually do have information in English, though. Information signs in museums, churches, etc., signs are typically in multiple languages at popular tourist destinations, and elsewhere in Polish only.

The European unified emergency number 112 is being deployed in Poland. By now, it certainly works for all mobile-phone calls and most land-line calls. There are also three "old" emergency numbers that are still in use for land-lines. These are: Ambulance (Pogotowie): 999, Firefighters (Straż Pożarna): 998, and Police (Policja): 997.

Tap water is safe to drink in entire Poland. If you stay in any larger settlement, there is no reason to worry about water quality. The only complaint may be excessive chlorine treatment and the resulting unpleasant smell. However in some rural locations residents may prefer to source water from wells, which usually will be contaminated with iron and unsafe to drink. Poland relies heavily on coal and wood for home heating, and thus has a serious smog problem, which is particularly pronounced in winter and in the southern regions, especially in mountain valleys.

===Mobile phones=== There are numerous mobile phone operators in Poland: Plus, T-Mobile, Orange and Play are the most popular ones, with the offer enhanced by many virtual operators, usually cheaper, including free calls in a monthly package. LTE is available in every town and 5G is being implemented as of 2021. Domestic call rates are roughly the same across all services.

===Etiquette=== Poles are generally old-fashioned about gender etiquette. It is customary to hold doors and chairs for women. Some men, particularly older men, may kiss a woman's hand when greeting or saying goodbye. Kissing a woman's hand is considered to be chivalrous by some, but is more and more often seen as outdated. Handshakes are acceptable; although some believe that men should not offer their hand to a woman - a handshake is only considered polite if the woman offers her hand to the man first. Do not ever handshake in gloves, it is considered insincere and rude. For a more heartfelt…

On public holidays, which include many Catholic holidays and important anniversaries, most service and retail outlets, other companies, museums, galleries, other attractions and public administration units close entirely. Plan ahead for shopping, services or official business.